strspn() function in C++

In this guide, you will learn what is strspn() function is in C++ programming and how to use it with an example.

1. strspn() Function Overview

The strspn() function, which is part of the <cstring> library in C++, determines the length of the initial segment of the first given string that consists entirely of characters present in the second given string.

Signature:

size_t strspn(const char* str1, const char* str2);

Parameters:

- str1: The main string in which the search is performed.

- str2: The string containing characters to be matched against str1.

2. Source Code Example

#include <iostream>
#include <cstring>

int main() {
    const char* string = "123abcDEF";
    const char* match_chars = "1234567890";

    size_t length = strspn(string, match_chars);

    std::cout << "Length of the initial segment of 'string' containing only characters from 'match_chars' is: " << length << std::endl;

    return 0;
}

Output:

Length of the initial segment of 'string' containing only characters from 'match_chars' is: 3

3. Explanation

1. The <iostream> header is included for standard input/output and <cstring> for the strspn() function.

2. Two strings are initialized: string and match_chars. We aim to determine the length of the initial segment of string that contains only characters present in match_chars.

3. The strspn() function is used to find the length of the said segment.

4. The result is then displayed.

The strspn() function is especially helpful when trying to analyze a string's composition based on specific characters or class of characters, like determining the length of the numeric prefix of a string.


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